Methods And Systems For Linking Content

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems for linking content are provided. An example method can comprise a first device receiving first content via a non-packetized network from a content provider, wherein the first content comprises one or more trigger elements. A user of the first device can select one or more trigger elements in the first content and a trigger signal can be transmitted from the first device to a linking system. The linking system can receive a request for information from a second device. The linking system can associate the request for information with the trigger signal and transmit a request for second content to the content provider, wherein the second content relates to one or more trigger elements of the first content. Upon receiving the request for second content, the content provider can transmit the second content to the second device via a packetized network.

BACKGROUND

Packet switched network technology such as Internet Protocol (IP) offersseveral advantages over non-packet switched network technology such asquadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). For example, a packet switchednetwork can serve a large number of IP-enabled devices, such as mobiledevices. In addition, enhanced features can easily be added to a packetswitched network. Conversely, adding enhanced features to a non-packetswitched network (e.g., QAM network) can be restricted because anon-packet switched network has limited out-of-band (OOB) bandwidth.These and other shortcomings are addressed by the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

It is to be understood that both the following general description andthe following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory onlyand are not restrictive. Methods and systems for linking content aredisclosed. In an aspect, while first content is being provided to afirst device via a non-packetized network (e.g., QAM network), a seconddevice can access second content via a packetized network such as an IPnetwork. The first content can comprise one or more trigger elements andthe second content can relate to the one or more trigger elements of thefirst content. Activation (e.g., selection, execution, etc.) of one ormore of the trigger elements can cause the second content to be provided(e.g., transmitted, rendered, presented, etc.) to the user, for example,via the packetized network. Using such trigger elements (or othermechanisms), the disclosed methods and systems can combine thenon-packetized and packetized networks to enhance and complement theviewing experience of a user. As such, a device (e.g., second device)configured to communicate via a packet switched network can accesscertain enhanced features relating to the first content delivered via anon-packetized based device (e.g., first device).

In an aspect, a method can comprise transmitting first content via anon-packetized network to a first device. The first content can compriseone or more trigger elements. A request for second content can also bereceived. The second content can relate to one or more trigger elementsof the first content. The request for second content can compriseinformation relating to a second device such as a device identifierand/or a user identifier. The second content can be transmitted via apacketized network to the second device.

In another aspect, a method can comprise receiving first content via anon-packetized network at a first device. The first content can compriseone or more trigger elements. The first device can be associated with adevice identifier. In response to activation of one or more of thetrigger elements, a trigger signal can be transmitted via an out-of-band(OOB) portion (e.g., OOB network, channel, frequency) of thenon-packetized network. The trigger signal can comprise the deviceidentifier associated with the first device and information relating toone or more trigger elements. The trigger signal can facilitate thetransmission of second content to a second device via a packetizednetwork. As an example, the second content can relate to the one or moretrigger elements of the first content.

In a further aspect, a method can comprise receiving a trigger signalcomprising a device identifier associated with a first device andinformation relating to one or more trigger elements of first contentprovided via the first device. A request for information can be receivedfrom a second device. The request for information can be associated withthe trigger signal. A request for second content can be transmittedbased upon the trigger signal and the request for information. Thesecond content can be transmitted to the second device via a packetizednetwork. The second content can relate to one or more trigger elementsof the first content.

Additional advantages will be set forth in part in the description thatfollows or may be learned by practice. The advantages will be realizedand attained by means of the elements and combinations particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments and together with thedescription, serve to explain the principles of the methods and systems:

FIG. 1 illustrates various aspects of an exemplary system in which thepresent methods and systems can operate:

FIG. 2 illustrates various aspects of another exemplary system and dataflow in which the present methods and systems can operate;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating an example method for linkingcontent:

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another example method for linkingcontent;

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating yet another example method forlinking content; and

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an example computing device inwhich the present systems and methods can operate.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present methods and systems are disclosed and described, itis to be understood that the methods and systems are not limited tospecific methods, specific components, or to particular implementations.It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for thepurpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended tobe limiting.

As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms“a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearlydictates otherwise. Ranges may be expressed herein as from “about” oneparticular value, and/or to “about” another particular value. When sucha range is expressed, another embodiment includes from the oneparticular value and/or to the other particular value. Similarly, whenvalues are expressed as approximations, by use of the antecedent“about,” it will be understood that the particular value forms anotherembodiment. It will be further understood that the endpoints of each ofthe ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, andindependently of the other endpoint.

“Optional” or “optionally” means that the subsequently described eventor circumstance may or may not occur, and that the description includesinstances where said event or circumstance occurs and instances where itdoes not.

Throughout the description and claims of this specification, the word“comprise” and variations of the word, such as “comprising” and“comprises.” means “including but not limited to,” and is not intendedto exclude, for example, other components, integers or steps.“Exemplary” means “an example of” and is not intended to convey anindication of a preferred or ideal embodiment. “Such as” is not used ina restrictive sense, but for explanatory purposes.

Disclosed are components that can be used to perform the disclosedmethods and systems. These and other components are disclosed herein,and it is understood that when combinations, subsets, interactions,groups, etc. of these components are disclosed that while specificreference of each various individual and collective combinations andpermutation of these may not be explicitly disclosed, each isspecifically contemplated and described herein, for all methods andsystems. This applies to all aspects of this application including, butnot limited to, steps in disclosed methods. Thus, if there are a varietyof additional steps that can be performed it is understood that each ofthese additional steps can be performed with any specific embodiment orcombination of embodiments of the disclosed methods.

The present methods and systems may be understood more readily byreference to the following detailed description of preferred embodimentsand the examples included therein and to the Figures and their previousand following description.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the methods andsystems may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, anentirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software andhardware aspects. Furthermore, the methods and systems may take the formof a computer program product on a computer-readable storage mediumhaving computer-readable program instructions (e.g., computer software)embodied in the storage medium. More particularly, the present methodsand systems may take the form of web-implemented computer software. Anysuitable computer-readable storage medium may be utilized including harddisks, CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

Embodiments of the methods and systems are described below withreference to block diagrams and flowchart illustrations of methods,systems, apparatuses and computer program products. It will beunderstood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, respectively, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may be loadedonto a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such thatthe instructions which execute on the computer or other programmabledata processing apparatus create a means for implementing the functionsspecified in the flowchart block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including computer-readableinstructions for implementing the function specified in the flowchartblock or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loadedonto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to causea series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or otherprogrammable apparatus to produce a computer-implemented process suchthat the instructions that execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in theflowchart block or blocks.

Accordingly, blocks of the block diagrams and flowchart illustrationssupport combinations of means for performing the specified functions,combinations of steps for performing the specified functions and programinstruction means for performing the specified functions. It will alsobe understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchartillustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams andflowchart illustrations, can be implemented by special purposehardware-based computer systems that perform the specified functions orsteps, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

Provided are methods and systems for linking content. Specifically,while first content is being provided to a first device via anon-packetized (e.g., QAM network), a second device can access secondcontent via a packetized network (e.g., IP network). The first contentcan comprise playable content, and the second content can comprise oneor more enhanced features relating to the first content. In an aspect,the first device may not be able to access the second content becausethe non-packetized network may have limited out-of-band (OOB) bandwidth.As such, the second device can be used to access the enhanced featurerelating to the first content. As an example, one or more enhancedfeatures can comprise a knowledge base of a character such as a plotsummary associated with the character, quotes of the character, nameand/or biography of actor/actress who plays the character. Enhancedfeatures can comprise advertisements, promotions, interactive purchasingopportunities, highlighting points, and/or polling points. The enhancedfeatures can relate to a specific scene, character, and/or time instancein the first content. As another example, the one or more enhancedfeatures can comprise information on content length, content title,content provider, content type (e.g., pay-per-view content, video ondemand content), content format (e.g., digital, analog), contentidentifier (e.g., content id), content release date, content updatefrequency, content category (e.g., romance, comedy, etc.), contentrating (e.g., PG, R, PG-13), the price for ordering the content, contentviewing history, and the like. In an aspect, the one or more enhancedfeatures can be stored in metadata of the first content.

In an aspect, providing the enhanced feature can be facilitated usingone or more trigger elements. As an example, the first content cancomprise one or more trigger elements and the second content can relateto the one or more trigger elements of the first content. Activation(e.g., selection, execution, etc.) of one or more of the triggerelements can cause the second content to be provided (e.g., transmitted,rendered, presented, etc.) to the user, for example, via the packetizednetwork. Using such trigger elements (or other mechanisms), thedisclosed methods and systems can combine the non-packetized andpacketized networks to enhance and complement the viewing experience ofa user. As such, a device (e.g., second device) configured tocommunicate via a packet switched network can access certain enhancedfeatures relating to the first content delivered via a non-packetizedbased device (e.g., first device).

In an aspect, single device can receive first content via thenon-packetized network and can receive enhanced features via thepacketized network. Such multi-network configuration can facilitate thepresentation of first content and enhanced content simultaneously on thesame device. In another aspect, markers (e.g., trigger elements) can beprocessed in the first content to cause a list of available enhancedfeatures to be presented via the second device. As such, a user canselect one or more of the available enhanced features to facilitate therequest and/or delivery of the select available enhanced feature. In afurther aspect, multiple devices can be configured to receive contentvia one or more networks.

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate various aspects of an exemplary method and systemin which the present methods and systems can operate. An exemplarymethod can be implemented using one or more of a content provider 101, alinking system 102, a network device 103, a first device 104, a seconddevice 105, and a billing system 106.

In an aspect, the content provider 101 can provide content to the firstdevice 104 and the second device 105. In an aspect, the content provider101 can be configured as (or disposed at) a central location (e.g., aheadend, or processing facility), which can receive content (e.g., data,input programming) from multiple sources. In an aspect, the contentprovider 101 can combine the content from the multiple sources and candistribute the content to user (e.g., subscriber) locations via adistribution system. There can be a multitude of user locationsconnected to the distribution system. The signals provided by thecontent provider 101 can include a single content item or a multiplexthat includes several content items. For example, the signals providedby content provider 101 can comprise playable content and metadataassociated with the playable content. In an aspect, the content provider101 can carry pay-per-view and/or video on demand service. In an aspect,the content provider 101 can be configured to provide content viadifferent types of network technologies (e.g., packetized network,non-packetized network). As an example, the content provider 101 canprovide first content to the first device 104 via a non-packetizednetwork (e.g., QAM network). As another example, the content provider101 can provide second content to the second device 105 via a packetizednetwork (e.g., IP network). One skilled in the art would recognize thatthe first device may also be capable of communicating via a packetizednetwork and the second device may also capable of communicating via anon-packetized network.

In an aspect, the first device 104 can comprise a set-top box,television, communication terminals or the like. In an aspect, the firstdevice 104 does not need to be in a fixed location. It can be deployedin any location convenient to communicate with the content provider 101and/or the network device 103. In an aspect, the first device 104 can bea device or system capable of accessing a non-packetized network (e.g.,QAM network), but may not be capable of accessing a packetized network(e.g., IP network). In an aspect, the first device 104 can access firstcontent (e.g., television program, movie) via the non-packetizednetwork, but may not be able to access second content (e.g., enhancedfeatures associated with the first content) because the non-packetizednetwork can have limited out-of-band (OOB) bandwidth. In an aspect, auser of the first device 104 can select one or more trigger elementsassociated with respective one or more enhanced features in the firstcontent via the first device 104. As an example, the first device 104can request an application from the linking system 102 via the networkdevice 103. As such, the application can facilitate a user interactionwith the one or more trigger elements. In an aspect, the user of thefirst device 104 can select one or more trigger elements associated withrespective features of the first content through the application. Inanother aspect, the application can be software configured to retrieveand/or perform an operation based on the application trigger dataassociated with the one or more trigger elements embedded in the firstcontent. As an example, performing an action can comprise transmitting apointer (e.g., timeline indicating the current scene of the firstcontent presented via a display). The pointer can be a trigger signal(e.g., data signal, packet, metadata) and can be received by the linkingsystem 102. The linking system 102 can use the pointer to determine thesecond content to be collected and transmitted to the second device 105.Alternatively, the application trigger data can be processed in a way toallow interaction with a user. For example, a list of options can bepresented via a display for user selection. As another example,input/action received from the user can be configured as a triggersignal (e.g., linkage message) and transmitted to the linking system 102for the preparation of second content to be transmitted to the seconddevice 105.

In an aspect, the second device 105 can comprise a set-top box,programmable consumer electronic device, smart phone, computer, tablet,mobile device, PDA, smart television, vehicle entertainment system,communications terminal, or the like. In an aspect, the second device105 does not need to be in a fixed location. The second device 105 canbe deployed in any location convenient for communication with thecontent provider 101 and/or linking system 102. In an aspect, a seconddevice 105 can be a device or system that is capable of accessing apacketized network channel (e.g., IP network). In an aspect, the seconddevice 105 can be used to access the enhanced features relating to thefirst content, wherein the first content is being provided to the firstdevice 104. As an example, one or more enhanced features can comprise aknowledge base of a character such as a plot summary associated with thecharacter, quotes of the character, name and/or biography ofactor/actress who plays the character. Enhanced features can compriseadvertisements, promotions, interactive purchasing opportunities,highlighting points, and/or polling points. The enhanced features canrelate to a specific scene, character, and/or time instance in the firstcontent. As another example, the one or more enhanced features cancomprise information on content length, content title, content provider,content type (e.g., pay-per-view content, video on demand content),content format (e.g., digital, analog), content identifier (e.g.,content id), content release date, content update frequency, contentcategory (e.g., romance, comedy, etc.), content rating (e.g., PG, R,PG-13), the price for ordering the content, content viewing history, andthe like. In an aspect, the one or more enhanced features can be storedin metadata of the first content. The second device 105 can facilitatethe viewer of the first content accessing the enhanced features of thefirst content. Therefore, the first device 104 and the second device 105can combine the first content delivered via the non-packetized networkand the second content delivered via the packetized network to enhanceand complement the viewing experience.

In an aspect, the linking system 102 can comprise a server capable oflinking content being provided to the first device 104 and the seconddevice 105. As an example, the linking system 102 can be a personalcomputer, portable computer, server, router, network computer, peerdevice, common network node, and the like. The linking system 102 cancomprise hardware and/or software components. In an aspect, the linkingsystem 102 can receive a request for an application capable of consumingthe trigger elements in the first content from the first device 104. Thelinking system 102 can transmit the requested application to the firstdevice 104. In an aspect, the linking system 102 can be configured toprovide second content (e.g., the enhanced features associated with thefirst content) to the second device 105 while the first content is beingprovided to the first device 104. For example, the linking system 102can receive a request for information or application from the seconddevice 105 and receive a trigger signal from the first device 104. Thelinking system 102 can associate the request for information and thetrigger signal. For example, the linking system 102 can determinewhether a portion of the request for information (e.g., a useridentifier associated with the first device 104) matches a portion ofthe trigger element (e.g., a user identifier associated with the seconddevice 105). Based upon the trigger signal and the request forinformation, a request for second content (e.g., enhanced featuresassociated with the first content) can be transmitted from the linkingsystem 102 to the content provider 101. In turn, the linking system 102can receive second content from the content provider 101 and transmitthe second content to the second device 105.

In an aspect, the linking system 102 can transmit a portion of thetrigger to the billing system 106 to authenticate a user of the firstdevice 104. In an aspect, the linking system 102 can transmit all or aportion of the request for information to the billing system 106 toauthenticate a user of the second device 105 to determine whether theuser associated with the second device 105 is the same user associatedwith the first device 104. For example, the linking system 102 cantransmit a user identifier (e.g., user account information or logincredentials as a customer or subscriber of a content provider 101)and/or device identifier associated with the first device 104 to thebilling system 106. The billing system 106 can be configured todetermine whether the user of the first device is entitled to access thesecond content. As another example, the linking system 102 can transmita user identifier (e.g., user account information or login credentialsas a customer or subscriber of a content provider 101) and/or deviceidentifier associated with the second device 105 to the billing system106. The linking system 102 can thereby determine whether the userassociated with the second device 105 is the same user associated withthe first device 104. Upon successful authentication, an entitlementconfirmation can be transmitted from the linking system 102 to thesecond device 105. As an example, the entitlement confirmation can be inthe form of a code, a piece of text, a protocol message, and the like.As an example, the billing system 106 can be a personal computer,portable computer, server, router, network computer, peer device, othercommon network node, and the like configured to communicate with thelinking system 102. In an aspect, the billing system 106 and the linkingsystem 102 can be implemented as separate network entities or reside ina common location.

In an aspect, the network device 103 can be used to connect the firstdevice 104 and the linking system 102. As an example, the network device103 can be a personal computer, portable computer, server, router,network computer, peer device, other common network node, and the likeconfigured to communicate with the first device 104 and the linkingsystem 102. In an aspect, the network device 103 can relay a requestfrom the first device 104 for an application to the linking system 102.In an aspect, the network device 103 can receive the requestedapplication from the linking system 102 and transmit the requestedapplication to the first device 104. In an aspect, the application canbe used to consume trigger elements in the first content. For example,the application can intercept and execute the trigger elements in thefirst content. The application can be an Enhanced TV Binary InterchangeFormat (EBIF) application. Once one or more trigger elements have beenselected via the first device 104, a trigger signal can be transmittedfrom the first device 104 to the network device 103 and the networkdevice 103 can relay the trigger to the linking system 102. In anaspect, the trigger signal can comprise a user identifier (e.g., useraccount information or login credentials as a customer or subscriber ofa content provider), a device identifier associated with the firstdevice 104, and/or information relating to one or more trigger elementsin the first content.

In an aspect, the first device 104 can comprise a communication element107 a. The communication element 107 a can comprise software, hardware,and/or interfaces for presenting and/or receiving information to/from auser. For example, a user of the first device 104 can request anapplication (e.g., an EBIF application) via the communication element107 a. As another example, the user of the first device 104 can selectone or more trigger elements in the first content via the communicationelement 107 a. In another aspect, the communication element 107 a canrequest and/or transmit data from/to a local source and/or a remotesource. As an example, the communication element 107 a can transmitand/or receive data to/from the network device 103. Specifically, thecommunication element 107 a can transmit a request for an applicationand trigger signal to the network device 103. In an aspect, thecommunication element 107 a can be configured to utilize a wired and/orwireless network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, MoCa, DLNA, Ethernet or anydesired method or standard.

In an aspect, the second device 105 can have a communication element 107b. The communication element 107 b can comprise software, hardware,and/or interfaces for presenting and/or receiving information to/from auser. For example, a user of the second device 105 can present a requestfor information via the communication element 107 b. As another example,the communication element 107 b can request or transmit data from/to alocal source and/or a remote source. Specifically, the communicationelement 107 b can transmit a request for information to the linkingsystem 102 to identify the second device 105. As another example, thecommunication element 107 b can transmit an action/feedback from theuser of the second device 105 or transmit a state of the second device105 to the linking system 102. In an aspect, the communication element107 b can be configured to utilize a wired and/or wireless network usingWi-Fi, Bluetooth, MoCa, DLNA, Ethernet or any desired method orstandard. In an aspect, the communication element 107 a can beconfigured to use different hardware, software and/or interface. Forexample, the communication element 107 a can be configured to utilize apacketized network compatible communication protocol, whereas thecommunication element 107 b can be configured to utilize anon-packetized network compatible communication protocol.

In an aspect, the first device 104 can be associated with a useridentifier or device identifier 108 a. As an example, the deviceidentifier 108 a can be any identifier, token, character, string, or thelike, for differentiating one user or device from another user ordevice. In a further aspect, the device identifier 108 a can identify auser or user device as belonging to a particular class of users or userdevices. As a further example, the device identifier 108 a can compriseinformation relating to the user device, such as a manufacturer, a modelor type of device, a service provider associated with the first device104, a state of the first device 104, a locator, and/or a label orclassifier. Other information can be represented by the deviceidentifier 108 a. As an example, the user identifier or deviceidentifier 108 a can be part of the trigger signal. As another example,a content provider (e.g., content provider 101) can provide firstcontent to first device 104 according to its user identifier or deviceidentifier 108 a. As another example, the user identifier or deviceidentifier 108 a can be used by a billing system (e.g., billing system106) to authenticate a user or user device (e.g., first device 104).

In an aspect, the device identifier 108 a can comprise an addresselement 109 a and/or a service element 110 a. In an aspect, the addresselement 109 a can comprise or provide an internet protocol address, anetwork address, a media access control (MAC) address, an Internetaddress, or the like. As an example, the address element 109 a can berelied upon to establish a communication session between the firstdevice 104 and other network devices or systems, such as the contentprovider 101, the linking system 102, and/or the network device 103. Asa further example, the address element 109 a can be used as anidentifier or locator of the first device 104. In an aspect, the addresselement 109 a can be persistent for a particular network. As an example,address element 109 a can be part of the request for an application andtrigger signal. As another example, a content provider (e.g., contentprovider 101) can provide first content to the first device 104 at itslocation according to its address element 109 a. As another example,address element 109 a can be used by a billing system (e.g., billingsystem 106) to authenticate a user or user device (e.g., first device104).

In an aspect, the service element 110 a can comprise an identificationof a service provider associated with the respective device and/or withthe class of device. The class of the device can be related to a type ofdevice, capability of device, type of service being provided, and/or alevel of service (e.g., business class, service tier, service package,etc.). As an example, the service element 110 a can comprise informationrelating to or provided by a content service provider (e.g., contentprovider 101) that is providing or enabling data flow such ascommunication services to the respective device. As a further example,the service element 110 a can comprise information relating to apreferred service provider for one or more particular services relatingto the first device 104. In an aspect, the address element 109 a can beused to identify or retrieve data from the service element 110 a, orvice versa. As an example, service element 110 a can compriseinformation of a content provider for a specific user or device. Asanother example, service element 110 a can comprise information ofpay-per-view service or video on-demand service that a specific user ordevice is entitled to access. In an aspect, the second device 105 can beassociated with a user identifier or device identifier 108 b. As anexample, the device identifier 108 b can be any identifier, token,character, string, or the like, for differentiating one user or devicefrom another user or device. In a further aspect, the device identifier108 b can identify a user or user device as belonging to a particularclass of users or user devices. As a further example, the deviceidentifier 108 b can comprise information relating to the user device,such as a manufacturer, a model or type of device, a service providerassociated with the second device 105, a state of the second device 105,a locator, and/or a label or classifier. Other information can berepresented by the device identifier 108 b. As an example, the useridentifier or device identifier 108 b can be part of the request forinformation and request for second content. As another example, the useridentifier or device identifier 108 b can be used by a billing system toauthenticate a user or user device. As another example, a contentprovider (e.g., content provider 101) can provide second content to thesecond device 105 according to its user identifier or device identifier108 b.

In an aspect, the device identifier 108 b can comprise an addresselement 109 b and/or a service element 110 b. In an aspect, the addresselement 109 b can comprise or provide an internet protocol address, anetwork address, a media access control (MAC) address, an Internetaddress, or the like. As an example, the address element 109 b can berelied upon to establish a communication session between the seconddevice 105 and other network devices or systems, such as the contentprovider 101, or the linking system 102. For example, the contentprovider 101 can provide second content to the second device 105 at itslocation according to its address element 109 b. As a further example,the address element 109 b can be used as an identifier or locator of thesecond device 105. In an aspect, the address element 109 b can bepersistent for a particular network. As an example, the address element109 b can be part of the request for information and/or request forsecond content. As another example, the address element 109 b can beused by a billing system (e.g., billing system 106) to authenticate auser or user device (e.g., second device 105).

In an aspect, the service element 110 b can comprise an identificationof a service provider associated with the respective device and/or withthe class of device. The class of the device can be related to a type ofdevice, capability of device, type of service being provided, and/or alevel of service (e.g., business class, service tier, service package,etc.). As an example, the service element 10 b can comprise informationrelating to or provided by a content service provider (e.g., contentprovider 101) that is providing or enabling data flow such ascommunication services to the respective device. As a further example,the service element 110 b can comprise information relating to apreferred service provider for one or more particular services relatingto the respective device. In an aspect, the address element 109 b can beused to identify or retrieve data from the service element 110 b, orvice versa. As an example, the service element 110 a can compriseinformation of content provider for a specific user or device (e.g.second device 105). As another example, the service element 110 b cancomprise information regarding pay-per-view service or video on-demandservice that a specific user or device is entitled to access.

In an aspect, a database 111 can be configured for storing a pluralityof files (e.g., web pages), user identifiers, device identifiers,records, or other information. For example, the database 111 can storeinformation relating to the first device 104 and the second device 105,such as the device identifiers 108 a,b, address elements 109 a,b and/orthe service elements 110 a,b. Specifically, the linking system 102 canobtain the device identifier 108 a of a first device 104 and retrieveinformation from the database 111 such as the address element 109 aand/or the service elements 110 a of the first device 104. As anotherexample, the linking system 102 can obtain the device identifier 108 bof a second device 105 and retrieve information from the database 111such as the address element 109 b and/or the service elements 110 b ofthe second device 105. As a further example, the linking system 102 canobtain the address element 109 a from a first device 104 and canretrieve the service element 110 a of the first device from the database111, or vice versa. Any information can be stored in and retrieved fromthe database 111. In an aspect, the database 111 can be disposedremotely from the linking system 102 and accessed via direct or indirectconnection. In another aspect, the database 111 can be integrated withthe linking system 102 or some other device or system.

In an aspect, the linking system 102 can have a communication element107 c. The communication element 107 c can comprise software, hardware,and/or interfaces for transmitting and/or receiving information to/fromthe first device 104, the second device 105, the network device 103, andthe billing system 102. For example, the communication element 107 c canreceive a request an application (e.g., an EBIF application) from thefirst device 104. As another example, the communication element 107 ccan transmit the requested application to the first device 104 via thenetwork device 103. As another example, the communication element 107 ccan receive a request for information from the communication element 107b of the second device 105. As another example, the communicationelement 107 c can receive an action/feedback from the user of the seconddevice 105 or operating state of the second device 105. As anotherexample, the communication element 107 c can transmit a message to thefirst device 104 to indicate that a second device 105 cannot be found.In an aspect, the communication element 107 c can be configured toutilize a wired and/or wireless network using Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, MoCa,DLNA, Ethernet or any desired method or standard.

In an aspect, the network connection between the content provider 101and the second device 105 can comprise a packet switched network (e.g.,internet protocol based network). The network connection between thesecond device 105 and the linking system 102 can comprise a packetswitched network (e.g., internet protocol based network). The networkconnection between the content provider 101 and the first device 104 cancomprise a non-packet switched network (e.g., QAM network). The networkconnection between the first device 104 and the network device 103 cancomprise an out-of-band (OOB) portion (e.g., OOB network, channel,frequency) in a non-packet switched network (e.g., QAM network). Thenetwork between the network device 103 and the linking system 102 cancomprise a packet switched network (e.g., IP network). For example, thefirst device 104 can transmit a trigger signal to the network device 103via an OOB portion (e.g., OOB network, channel, frequency) in a QAMchannel. The network device 103 can transmit the trigger signal to thelinking system 102 via an IP network. In an aspect, the OOB portion(e.g., OOB network, channel, frequency) can comprise an ALOHA network ora digital audio visual council (DAVIC) network. By way of example, theinformation contained in the trigger signal can be carried in oneasynchronous transfer mode (ATM) cell of ALOHA network or two ATM cellsof DAVIC network. In an aspect, the network connection can comprisenetwork adapters, switches, routers, and the like connected throughwireless links (e.g., radio frequency, satellite) and/or physical links(e.g., fiber optic cable, coaxial cable. Ethernet cable).

In an aspect, the communication between the devices and systems in FIG.1 can be implemented to operate over hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP),Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), Internet Protocol (IP), FileTransfer Protocol (FTP), Telnet, Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure(HTTPS), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Simple Object AccessProtocol (SOAP), Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and variationsthereof, Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). Real-Time TransportProtocol (RTP), Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), Advanced Remote DesktopProtocol (ARDP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Global System for MobileCommunications (GSM) technologies, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)technologies. Evolution Data Optimized Protocol (EVDO), Internet GroupManagement Protocol (IGMP), Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), TimeDivision Multiple Access (TDMA) technologies, radio frequency (RF)signaling technologies, wireless communication technologies (e.g.,Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.) and other suitable communications technologies.

FIG. 2 illustrates various aspects of an exemplary data flow. In anaspect, the first device 104 can receive first content from the contentprovider 101 via a non-packetized network (e.g., QAM network). The firstcontent can comprise one or more trigger elements. As an example, thefirst content can be a television show or movie, a video clip, anadvertisement, an electronic game, and the like. One or more triggerelements can be markers linked to enhanced features of the firstcontent. In an aspect, markers can be in the form of patterns of dots orsquares, codes, graphics, numbers, letters, and the like, inserted atspecific scene or time instance in the first content. An applicationrunning on the first device 104 can process the markers and/or causesome operation to be performed based on the markers. For example, as aresult of marker consumption or execution, a pointer (e.g., timelineindicating current scene of the first content playing at the firstdevice 104) can be wrapped in a trigger signal. As an example, one ormore enhanced features can comprise a knowledge base of a character suchas a plot summary associated with the character, quotes of thecharacter, biography information of actor/actress who plays thecharacter. Enhanced features can comprise advertisements, promotions,interactive purchasing opportunities, highlighting points, and/orpolling points. The enhanced features can relate to a specific scene,character, and/or time instance in the first content. As anotherexample, the one or more enhanced features can comprise information oncontent length, content title, content provider, content type (e.g.,pay-per-view content, video on demand content), content format (e.g.,digital, analog), content identifier (e.g., content id), content releasedate, content update frequency, content category (e.g., romance, comedy,etc.), content rating (e.g., PG, R, PG-13), the price for ordering thecontent, content viewing history, and the like. In an aspect, theenhanced features can be deployed at the content provider 101. Inanother aspect, the enhanced features can be deployed at the LinkingSystem 102.

In an aspect, the first device 104 can request an application from thelinking system 102. Upon the request from the first device 104, thelinking system 102 can transmit the application to the first device 104.When the application is running at the first device 104, the applicationcan consume and execute trigger elements embedded in the first content.In an aspect, the execution of trigger elements can send a pointer (e.g.timeline indicating current scene of the first content playing at thefirst device 104) as a trigger signal to the linking system 102, so thatthe linking system 102 can be informed of the second content to berequested, and deliver the second content to the second device 105.

In another aspect, the user of the first device 104 can select (e.g.,consume, execute) trigger elements. For example, the user of the firstdevice 104 can select from a list of items displayed at the first device104. An input or action from user of the first device 104 can be wrappedin a trigger signal and transmitted to the linking system 102 for thepreparation of second content to be delivered to the second device 105.Upon the selection of the trigger elements embedded in the firstcontent, a trigger signal can be transmitted from the first device 104to the network device 103. The trigger signal can be further relayedfrom the network device 103 to the linking system 102 via a packetizednetwork (e.g., IP network). As an example, the trigger signal can betransmitted by a remote desktop protocol (RDP) or advanced remotedesktop protocol (ARDP). In an aspect, the trigger signal can comprise adevice identifier associated with the first device 104 (e.g., deviceidentifier 108 a), a linkage message, and one or more indices associatedwith one or more trigger elements in the first content. As an example,the identifier of the first device 104 can comprise the network address(e.g., MAC address) of the first device 104. The linkage message can bea code (e.g., one byte code 0xAA) as an indication for the linkingsystem 102 to associate a request for information from the second device105 with the trigger signal from the first device 104. For example, thelinkage message can be an indication for the linking system 102 to lookfor a user identifier in the request for information that matches theuser identifier in the trigger signal. As another example, the indicesassociated with one or more trigger elements in the first content cancomprise indices of a knowledge base of specific characters orperformers in the first content, advertisements, promotions, purchasingopportunities, interest points, highlighting points, polling points, orcoupons related to a specific scene, character, or time instance in thefirst content. As another example, the indices associated with one ormore trigger elements in the first content can comprise indices ofinformation on content length, content title, content provider, contenttype (e.g. pay per view content, video on demand content), contentformat (e.g., digital, analog), content identifier (e.g., content id),content release date, content update frequency, content category (e.g.romance, comedy, etc.), content rating (e.g. PG, R, PG-13), the pricefor ordering the first content, content viewing history, and the like.

In an aspect, the linking system 102 can receive a request forinformation from a second device 105. As an example, the request forinformation can be initiated by a user logging into a customer orsubscriber account of the content provider 101 via the second device105. The request for information can be made by input on the keypad orvoice command through the communication element 107 b of the seconddevice 105. As an example, the request for information can comprise auser identifier (e.g., user account information or login credentials asa customer or subscriber of the content provider 101) and/or deviceidentifier associated with the second device 105 (e.g., deviceidentifier 108 b, address element 109 b).

Upon receiving the request for information from a second device 105, thelinking system 102 can associate the request for information from thesecond device 105 with the trigger signal from the first device 104. Forexample, the linking system 102 can determine if the user identifier inthe request for information matches the user identifier in the triggersignal. As another example, the linking system 102 can determine if theuser and/or device identifier in the request for information and theuser and/or device identifier in the trigger signal are associated witha same user. When the user and/or device identifier in the request forinformation matches the identifier in the trigger signal, the requestfor information and the trigger signal can be associated.

In an aspect, the linking system 102 can authenticate the user of thefirst device 104 and/or the first device 104 by transmitting a portionof the trigger signal (e.g., user identifier, device identifier of thefirst device 104) to the billing system 106. The billing system 106 candetermine whether a user identifier (e.g., user account information as asubscriber or customer of a content provider 101) or device identifierof the first device 104 (e.g., device identifier 108 a) is entitled toaccess the second content. In an aspect, the linking system 102 canauthenticate the user of the second device 105 and/or the second device105 by transmitting all or a portion of the request for information(e.g., user identifier, device identifier of the second device 105) tothe billing system 106. The linking system 102 can determine if thedevice identifier in the request for information and the deviceidentifier in the trigger signal are associated with the same user.

In an aspect, the linking system 102 can transmit a request for secondcontent to the content provider 101. As an example, the request forsecond content can comprise indices associated with one or more triggerelements in the first content. In addition, the request for secondcontent can comprise a user identifier and/or device identifier of thesecond device 105. In an aspect, the linking system 102 can transmit arequest for second content to the content provider 101 and receive thesecond content from content provider 101. In turn, the linking system102 can transmit the second content to the second device 105 accordingto the user identifier and/or device identifier (e.g., device identifier108 b). The second content can be transmitted from the content provider101 to the second device 105 directly or via the linking system 102.When the second content is deployed in the linking system 102, thesecond content can be transmitted from the linking system 102 to thesecond device 105.

As an illustrative example, a multi-screen user can elect to receivefirst content via a first device (e.g., first device 104) such as adigital communication terminal or digital cable terminal (DCT) set-topbox (STB). For example, the multi-screen user can tune to a particularcontent channel to access the first content. In an aspect, the firstcontent can comprise one or more embedded trigger elements. In anotheraspect, the DCT STB can make a request for an application from a linkingsystem (e.g., linking system 102), such as a link application server,and the requested application can be received at the DCT STB. Themulti-screen user can register a second device by launching asecond-screen application (e.g., tablet link application) and providingcustomer or subscriber account information via the second device. As aresult, a request for information can be transmitted from the seconddevice to the linking system. The request for information can comprise auser identifier and/or a device identifier associated with the seconddevice. In an aspect, registration of the second device with aparticular user, account, and/or identifier can be maintained on and/orby the linking system.

The multi-screen user can select one or more trigger elements in thefirst content via the requested application on the DCT STB. Theselection can cause the DCT STB to send a trigger signal (e.g.,application request) to the linking system, for example, via a networkdevice such as a network controller. For example, in a DAVIC network,the linking system can listen to a designated port to receive triggeringsignals. Specifically, a user agent running at the DCT STB can have ahostname associated with the linking system configured as thedestination of triggering signals. As an example, the trigger signal cancomprise an application ID, MAC address of DCT STB, and/or other data(e.g., information relating to one or more trigger elements in the firstcontent, a linkage message such as “link app,” and the like). Thelinking system can receive the trigger signal with the linkage messageof “link app” and can search for a user identifier from the seconddevice (e.g., IP-enabled device) that matches the user and/or deviceidentifier (e.g., MAC address of DCT STB) in the trigger signal. In anaspect, a plurality of sub-application servers running on the linkingsystem can handle particular content or a type of content. For example,when the linking system detects a particular code in the trigger signal,it can associate the particular code with particular content or a typeof content. A respective sub-application server can be identified tohandle the trigger signals with a particular code. In an aspect, thelinking system can communicate with a billing server based oninformation in the trigger signal and can request information todetermine whether the multi-screen user associated with the DCT STB isthe same as the multi-screen user associated with second device. In anaspect, the linking system can transmit an entitlement confirmation tothe second device to confirm that the second device is entitled toaccess the second content. The confirmation message can be maintained onthe second device. In an aspect, the linking system can send a messageto the DCT STB to indicate that a second device is not found. In turn,the application running on the DCT STB can stop execution of the triggerelements and can stop transmitting the trigger signal to the linkingsystem.

The registered second device can be used to receive the second contentfrom a content provider directly or via the linking system. If thesecond content is deployed via the linking system, the registered seconddevice can receive the second content from the linking system. In anaspect, receiving the second content can be on based on an independenttiming mechanism relating to the transmitting device and/or thereceiving device. In another aspect, a synchronizing mechanism can beused to synchronize between the delivery of the first content and thesecond content.

In an aspect, one or more content providers can provide trigger elementsthat relate to one or more of the first and second content. As anexample, a user watching sports via the DCT STB can be presented with atrigger element associated with a particular player in the sportsprogramming. Upon activation of the trigger element, second contentrelating to the player in the sports programming of the first contentcan be displayed via the second device. As a further example, thecontent provided can configure any number of trigger elements to causevarious second content items to be presented via the second device.

FIG. 3 is flowchart illustrating an example method for linking content.At step 302, first content can be transmitted to a first device via anon-packetized network. As an example, first content can be transmittedfrom the content provider 101 to the first device 104 via anon-packetized network. The first content can be a television show, amovie, a video clip, an advertisement, an electronic game, and the like.In an aspect, the first device 104 can be a device or system capable ofaccessing a non-packetized network, but may not be capable of accessingthe enhanced features associated with the first content because thenon-packetized network may have limited out-of-band (OOB) bandwidth. Asan example, the first device 104 can comprise a set-top box, television,communication terminals or the like. In an aspect, the non-packetizednetwork can be a QAM network. In an aspect, the first content cancomprise one or more trigger elements. For example, one or more triggerelements can comprise markers linked to enhanced features associatedwith the first content. In an aspect, markers can be in the form ofpatterns of dots or squares, codes, graphics, numbers, letters, and thelike inserted at a specific scene or time instance in the first content.In an aspect, the enhanced features can comprise a knowledge base ofspecific characters or performers in the first content, advertisements,promotions, purchasing opportunities, interest points, highlightingpoints, polling points or coupons related to a specific scene, characteror time instance in the first content. As another example, the enhancedfeatures can comprise information on content length, content title,content provider, content type (e.g. pay-per-view content, video ondemand content), content format (e.g., digital, analog), contentidentifier (e.g., content id), content release date, content updatefrequency, content category (e.g. romance, comedy, etc.), content rating(e.g. PG, R, PG-13), the price for ordering the first content, contentviewing history, and the like.

At step 304, a request for second content can be received. As anexample, the content provider 101 can receive the request for secondcontent from the linking system 102. As an example, a user of the firstdevice 104 can select one or more trigger elements in the first contentand a trigger signal can be transmitted from the first device 104 to thelinking system 102. Upon receiving the trigger signal, the linkingsystem 102 can associate a request for information from a second device105 with the trigger signal. Based upon the trigger signal from thefirst device 104 and the request for information from the second device105, the linking system 102 can transmit a request for second content tothe content provider 101. In an aspect, the request for second contentcan comprise information relating to one or more trigger elements (e.g.,indices associated with one or more trigger elements of the firstcontent) and the user and/or device identifier associated with thesecond device 105. In an aspect, the second content can be deployed inthe linking system 102, in this case, the linking system 102 does notneed to transmit the request for second content to the content provider101.

At step 306, second content can be transmitted to the second device viaa packetized network. In an aspect, the second content can betransmitted from the content provider 101 to the second device 105directly or via the linking system 102. In another aspect, the secondcontent can be transmitted from the linking system 102 to the seconddevice 105. In an aspect, the second content can comprise enhancedfeatures associated with the first content. As an example, the enhancedfeatures can comprise a knowledge base of specific characters orperformers in the first content, advertisements, promotions, purchasingopportunities, interest points, highlighting points, polling points, orcoupons related to a specific scene, character, or time instance in thefirst content. As another example, the enhanced features can compriseinformation on content length, content title, content provider, contenttype (e.g. pay-per-view content, video on demand content), contentformat (e.g., digital, analog), content identifier (e.g., content id),content release date, content update frequency, content category (e.g.romance, comedy, etc.), content rating (e.g. PG, R, PG-13), the pricefor ordering the first content, content viewing history, and the like.In an aspect, a second device 105 can be a device or system that iscapable of accessing a packetized network (e.g., IP network). The seconddevice 105 can be used to access the enhanced features relating to thefirst content, because the first device 104 may not able to access theenhanced features. As an example, the second device 105 can comprise aset-top box, programmable consumer electronic, smart phone, computer,tablet, mobile device, PDA, smart TV set, vehicle entertainment system,communications terminal or the like.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating another example method for linkingcontent. At step 402, first content can be received via a non-packetizednetwork at a first device. As an example, first content can betransmitted from the content provider 101 to the first device 104 via anon-packetized network. Specifically, the non-packetized network can bea QAM network. As an example, the first content can be a televisionshow, a movie, a video clip, an advertisement, an electronic game, andthe like. In an aspect, the first content can comprise one or moretrigger elements. For example, one or more trigger elements can comprisemarkers linked to the enhanced features associated with the firstcontent. In an aspect, markers can be in the form of patterns of dots orsquares, codes, graphics, numbers, letters, and the like, inserted atspecific scene or time instance in the first content. In an aspect, theenhanced features can comprise a knowledge base of specific charactersor performers in the first content, advertisements, promotions,purchasing opportunities, interest points, highlighting points, pollingpoints, or coupons related to a specific scene, character, or timeinstance in the first content. As another example, the enhanced featurescan comprise information on content length, content title, contentprovider, content type (e.g. pay-per-view content, video on demandcontent), content format (e.g., digital, analog), content identifier(e.g., content id), content release date, content update frequency,content category (e.g. romance, comedy, etc.), content rating (e.g. PG,R, PG-13), the price for ordering the first content, content viewinghistory, and the like. In an aspect, the first device 104 can be adevice or system capable of accessing a non-packetized network (e.g.,QAM network), but may not be capable of accessing the enhanced featuresassociated with the first content because the non-packetized network mayhave limited out-of-band (OOB) bandwidth. As an example, the firstdevice 104 can comprise a set-top box, television, communicationterminals or the like. The non-packetized network can be a QAM network.In an aspect, the first device 104 can be associated with a deviceidentifier (e.g., device identifier 108 a). As an example, the deviceidentifier can be MAC address of the first device 104.

At step 404, a trigger signal can be transmitted via an out-of-band(OOB) portion (e.g., OOB network, channel, frequency) of thenon-packetized network. As an example, a user of the first device 104can select one or more trigger elements in the first content, and inturn, a trigger signal can be transmitted from the first device 104 tothe linking system 102. In an aspect, the first device 104 can transmita trigger signal to the network device 103 via an OOB portion (e.g., OOBnetwork, channel, frequency) of the non-packetized network, and thenetwork device 103 can further relay the trigger signal to the linkingsystem 102 via a packetized network (e.g., IP network). As an example,the trigger signal can be transmitted by a remote desktop protocol (RDP)or advanced remote desktop protocol (ARDP). In an aspect, the triggersignal can comprise a user identifier (e.g., user account information orlogin credentials as a customer or subscriber of a content provider),and/or device identifier associated with the first device 104, a linkagemessage, and information relating to one or more trigger elements in thefirst content. As an example, the device identifier of the first device104 can comprise the network address (e.g., MAC address) of the firstdevice 104. The linkage message can be a code (e.g., one byte code 0xAA)as an indication for the linking system 102 to associate a request forinformation from a second device 105 with the trigger signal from thefirst device 104. For example, the linkage message can be an indicationfor the linking system 102 to look for a user identifier in the requestfor information that matches the user identifier in the trigger signal.As another example, information relating to one or more trigger elementsin the first content can be indices associated with one or more triggerelements. For example, the indices associated with one or more triggerelements can comprise indices of a knowledge base of specific charactersor performers in the first content, advertisements, promotions,purchasing opportunities, interest points, highlighting points, pollingpoints or coupons related to a specific scene, character or timeinstance in the first content. As another example, the indicesassociated with one or more trigger elements can comprise indices ofinformation on content length, content title, content provider, contenttype (e.g. pay-per-view content, video on demand content), contentformat (e.g., digital, analog), content identifier (e.g., content id),content release date, content update frequency, content category (e.g.romance, comedy, etc.), content rating (e.g. PG, R, PG-13), the pricefor ordering the first content, content viewing history, and the like.

As a specific example, the format of the trigger signal can be a linkagemessage identifier (4 bits), version (4 bits), MAC address (6 bytes),reserved (4 bits), signal type (4 bits), organization identifier (3bytes), application identifier (4 bytes), major version (4 bits), minorversion (4 bits) trigger signal identifier (2 bytes), payload (4 bytes),or a combination thereof. As an example, the linkage message identifiercan be a fixed one byte value such as 0xAA. Version can comprise versionvalue of a specific trigger signal format; it can start from zero. MACaddress can comprise the MAC address of the first device. Reserved canindicate usage of the trigger signal. Signal type can be defined for aspecific action. For example, the signal type of 0x0 can be defined as acommand to automatically execute an application. The signal type of 0x1can be defined as a command to automatically execute an application withan indexed page defined at the first byte of a payload. The signal typeof 0x3 can be defined as a command to automatically execute anapplication with an indexed page defined at the first byte of a payloadwhile the remaining three payload bytes can hold a value of a defaultvariable. The signal type of 0x4 can be defined as a command toautomatically preview an application with a payload of 4 bytes, and holda value of the default variable. The signal type of 0xA can be definedas using a customized definition from the 4 payload bytes. The signaltype of 0xB, 0xC, 0xD, 0xE and 0xF can be reserved modes for theprotocol for transmitting the trigger signal. The reserved mode can befor verification, diagnostic, or other internal usage. Organizationidentifier can be an identifier assigned by the organization to whichthe application is associated. Application identifier can be anapplication identifier assigned by an organization. Major Version can bea major version number of an application; the default value can be setto zero. Minor Version can be a minor version number of an application;the default value can be set to one. Trigger identifier can be a triggeridentifier associated with a specific application; the default value canbe set to one. Payload can be a value or code specific to a triggersignal. For example, payload may contain an indicator of a particulartrigger element in the first content. The indicator can enable thelinking system 102 to associate the particular trigger element to arespective enhanced feature as the second content.

The trigger signal can utilize a portion of OOB bandwidth of anon-packetized network that does not negatively impact performance. Asan example, in a specific format, the trigger signal can comprise 22bytes. In an aspect, the trigger signal can be contained in a single ATMcell in an ALOHA network with GXP framework or the like. GXP can be alayer of information that may or may not present in the ATM cell. Forexample, the cell structure can be PID (1 byte) des IP(4 bytes) desPort(2 bytes) source Port (2 bytes) [GXP(12)trigger signal (22)] PAD(0)ML( ) CRC(4)=48 bytes. In another aspect, the trigger signal can becontained in two ATM cells in DAVIC (using TCP) with or without GXP. Forexample, the cell structure can be: [[LLC (8) [IP (20) TCP (20) GXP (12)Trigger signal (22)]] PAD(6) CRC(8)]=96 bytes=2*48 bytes.

In an aspect, the trigger signal can facilitate the transmission ofsecond content to a second device (e.g., second device 105) via apacketized network (e.g., IP network) and the second content can relateto one or more trigger elements of the first content. For example, uponreceiving the trigger signal, the linking system 102 can associate arequest for information from the second device 105 and the triggersignal from the first device 104. Based upon the request for informationand the trigger signal, a request for the second content can betransmitted from the linking system 102 to the content provider 101, andin turn, the content provider 101 can provide the second content to thesecond device 105 directly or via the linking system 102. When thesecond content is deployed at the linking system 102, the second contentcan be transmitted from the linking system to the second device 105.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating yet another example method forlinking content. At step 502, a trigger signal can be received. In anaspect, the trigger signal can be transmitted from the first device 104to the linking system 102 via a packetized network (e.g., IP network).As an example, the trigger signal can be transmitted by a remote desktopprotocol (RDP) or advanced remote desktop protocol (ARDP). In an aspect,the trigger signal can comprise a user identifier (e.g., user accountinformation or login credentials as a customer or subscriber of acontent provider), and/or device identifier associated with the firstdevice 104, a linkage message, and information relating to one or moretrigger elements in the first content. As an example, the deviceidentifier of the first device 104 can comprise the network address(e.g., MAC address) of the first device 104. The linkage message can bea code (e.g., one byte code 0xAA) as an indication for the linkingsystem 102 to associate a request for information from a second device105 with the trigger signal from the first device 104. For example, thelinkage message can be an indication for the linking system 102 to lookfor a user identifier in the request for information that matches theuser identifier in the trigger signal. For example, the indicesassociated with one or more trigger elements can comprise indices of aknowledge base of specific characters or performers in the firstcontent, advertisements, promotions, purchasing opportunities, interestpoints, highlighting points, polling points or coupons related to aspecific scene, character or time instance in the first content. Asanother example, the indices associated with one or more triggerelements can comprise indices of information on content length, contenttitle, content provider, content type (e.g. pay-per-view content, videoon demand content), content format (e.g., digital, analog), contentidentifier (e.g., content id), content release date, content updatefrequency, content category (e.g. romance, comedy, etc.), content rating(e.g. PG, R, PG-13), the price for ordering the first content, contentviewing history, and the like.

At step 504, a request for information can be received from a seconddevice. In an aspect, the linking system 102 can receive the request forinformation from the second device 105. As an example, the request forinformation can be initiated by a user logging into a customer orsubscriber account of the content provider 101 via the second device105. As an example, the request for information can comprise a useridentifier (e.g., user account information or login credentials as acustomer or subscriber of the content provider 101) and/or deviceidentifier of the second device 105 (e.g., device identifier 108 b,address element 109 b). In an aspect, a second device 105 can be adevice or system that is capable of accessing a packetized networkchannel (e.g., IP network). As such, the second device 105 can be usedto access the enhanced features associated with the first content,wherein the first content is being provided to the first device 104. Asan example, the second device 105 can comprise a set-top box,programmable consumer electronic, smart phone, computer, tablet, mobiledevice, PDA, smart TV set, vehicle entertainment system, communicationsterminal, and the like.

At step 506, the request for information and the trigger signal can beassociated. In an aspect, the linking system 102 can receive a triggersignal from the first device 104. As an example, the linking system 102can determine whether the user identifier in the request for informationmatches the user identifier in the trigger signal. As another example,the linking system 102 can determine if the device identifier in therequest for information and the device identifier in the trigger signalare associated with the same user. If the user and/or device identifierin the request for information matches the user and/or device identifierin the trigger signal, the request for information and the triggersignal can be associated. In an aspect, the linking system 102 cantransmit all or a portion of the request for information (e.g., useridentifier, device identifier of the first device 104 and second device105) to the billing system 106 for user and/or device authentication.The linking system 102 can thereby determine whether the user associatedwith the second device 105 is the same user associated with the firstdevice 104 and/or whether the first device 104 and the second device 105are associated with the same user.

At step 508, a request for second content can be transmitted. In anaspect, based on the request for information from the second device 105and the trigger signal from the first device 104, a request for secondcontent can be transmitted from the linking system 102 to the contentprovider 101. As an example, the request for second content can compriseinformation relating to one or more trigger elements in the firstcontent and the user and/or device identifier associated with the seconddevice 105. For example, the information relating to one or more triggerelements in the first content can be indices associated with one or moretrigger elements of the first content. In an aspect, the second contentcan be deployed in the linking system 102, in this case, the linkingsystem 102 does not need to transmit the request for second content tothe content provider 101.

At step 510, the second content can be transmitted to the second device.In an aspect, upon receiving the request for second content, the contentprovider 101 can transmit the second content to the second device 105via a packetized network (e.g., IP network). The content provider 101can transmit the second content to the second device 105 directly or viathe linking system 102. In case the second content is deployed in thelinking system 102, the second content can be transmitted from thelinking system 102 to the second device 105. For example, the secondcontent can comprise the enhanced features associated with the firstcontent. As an example, the enhanced features can comprise a knowledgebase of specific characters or performers in the first content,advertisements, promotions, purchasing opportunities, interest points,highlighting points, polling points or coupons related to a specificscene, character or time instance in the first content. As anotherexample, the enhanced features can comprise information on contentlength, content title, content provider, content type (e.g. pay-per-viewcontent, video on demand content), content format (e.g., digital,analog), content identifier (e.g., content id), content release date,content update frequency, content category (e.g. romance, comedy, etc.),content rating (e.g. PG, R, PG-13), the price for ordering the firstcontent, content viewing history, and the like

In an exemplary aspect, the methods and systems can be implemented on acomputer 601 as illustrated in FIG. 6 and described below. By way ofexample, the computer 601 as illustrated in FIG. 6 can be the firstdevice 104 and/or the second device 105 of FIG. 1. As another example,the remote computing devices 614 a,b,c in FIG. 6 can be the contentprovider 101, linking system 102, network device 103, first device 104,second device 105, or billing system 106. Similarly, the methods andsystems disclosed can utilize one or more computers to perform one ormore functions in one or more locations. FIG. 6 is a block diagramillustrating an exemplary operating environment for performing thedisclosed methods. This exemplary operating environment is only anexample of an operating environment and is not intended to suggest anylimitation as to the scope of use or functionality of operatingenvironment architecture. Neither should the operating environment beinterpreted as having any dependency or requirement relating to any oneor combination of components illustrated in the exemplary operatingenvironment.

The present methods and systems can be operational with numerous othergeneral purpose or special purpose computing system environments orconfigurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments,and/or configurations that can be suitable for use with the systems andmethods comprise, but are not limited to, personal computers, servercomputers, laptop devices, and multiprocessor systems. Additionalexamples comprise set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computingenvironments that comprise any of the above systems or devices, and thelike.

The processing of the disclosed methods and systems can be performed bysoftware components. The disclosed systems and methods can be describedin the general context of computer-executable instructions, such asprogram modules, being executed by one or more computers or otherdevices. Generally, program modules comprise computer code, routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Thedisclosed methods can also be practiced in grid-based and distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules can be located inboth local and remote computer storage media including memory storagedevices.

Further, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the systems andmethods disclosed herein can be implemented via a general-purposecomputing device in the form of a computer 601. The components of thecomputer 601 can comprise, but are not limited to, one or moreprocessors or processing units 603, a system memory 612, and a systembus 613 that couples various system components including the processor603 to the system memory 612. In the case of multiple processors 603,the system can utilize parallel computing.

The system bus 613 represents one or more of several possible types ofbus structures, including a memory bus or memory controller, aperipheral bus, an accelerated graphics port, and a processor or localbus using any of a variety of bus architectures. By way of example, sucharchitectures can comprise an Industry Standard Architecture (ISA) bus,a Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) bus, an Enhanced ISA (EISA) bus, aVideo Electronics Standards Association (VESA) local bus, an AcceleratedGraphics Port (AGP) bus, and a Peripheral Component Interconnects (PCI),a PCI-Express bus, a Personal Computer Memory Card Industry Association(PCMCIA), Universal Serial Bus (USB), and the like. The bus 613, and allbuses specified in this description can also be implemented over a wiredor wireless network connection and each of the subsystems, including theprocessor 603, a mass storage device 604, an operating system 605,content processing software 606, content data 607, a network adapter608, system memory 612, an Input/Output Interface 610, a display adapter609, a display device 611, and a human machine interface 602, can becontained within one or more remote computing devices 614 a,b,c atphysically separate locations, connected through buses of this form, ineffect implementing a fully distributed system.

The computer 601 typically comprises a variety of computer readablemedia. Exemplary readable media can be any available media that isaccessible by the computer 601 and comprises, for example and not meantto be limiting, both volatile and non-volatile media, removable andnon-removable media. The system memory 612 comprises computer readablemedia in the form of volatile memory, such as random access memory(RAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM). Thesystem memory 612 typically contains data, such as content data 607and/or program modules, such as operating system 605 and contentprocessing software 606 that are immediately accessible to and/or arepresently operated on by the processor 603.

In another aspect, the computer 601 can also comprise otherremovable/non-removable, volatile/non-volatile computer storage media.By way of example, FIG. 6 illustrates a mass storage device 604 that canprovide non-volatile storage of computer code, computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, and other data for thecomputer 601. For example and not meant to be limiting, a mass storagedevice 604 can be a hard disk, a removable magnetic disk, a removableoptical disk, magnetic cassettes or other magnetic storage devices,flash memory cards, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or otheroptical storage, random access memories (RAM), read only memories (ROM),electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and thelike.

Optionally, any number of program modules can be stored on the massstorage device 604, including by way of example, an operating system 605and content processing software 606. Each of the operating system 605and content processing software 606 (or some combination thereof) cancomprise elements of the programming and the content processing software606. Content data 607 can also be stored on the mass storage device 604.Content data 607 can be stored in any of one or more databases known inthe art. Examples of such databases comprise, DB2®, Microsoft® Access,Microsoft® SQL Server, Oracle®, mySQL, PostgreSQL, and the like. Thedatabases can be centralized or distributed across multiple systems.

In another aspect, the user can enter commands and information into thecomputer 601 via an input device (not shown). Examples of such inputdevices comprise, but are not limited to, a keyboard, pointing device(e.g., a “mouse”), a microphone, a joystick, a scanner, tactile inputdevices, such as gloves, and other body coverings, and the like Theseand other input devices can be connected to the processor 603 via ahuman machine interface 602 that is coupled to the system bus 613, butcan be connected by other interface and bus structures, such as aparallel port, game port, an IEEE 1394 Port (also known as a Firewireport), a serial port, or a universal serial bus (USB).

In yet another aspect, a display device 611 can also be connected to thesystem bus 613 via an interface, such as a display adapter 609. It iscontemplated that the computer 601 can have more than one displayadapter 609 and the computer 601 can have more than one display device611. For example, a display device can be a monitor, an LCD (LiquidCrystal Display), or a projector. In addition to the display device 611,other output peripheral devices can comprise components, such asspeakers (not shown) and a printer (not shown) that can be connected tothe computer 601 via Input/Output Interface 610. Any step and/or resultof the methods can be output in any form to an output device. Suchoutput can be any form of visual representation, including, but notlimited to, textual, graphical, animation, audio, tactile, and the like.The display 611 and computer 601 can be part of one device, or separatedevices.

The computer 601 can operate in a networked environment using logicalconnections to one or more remote computing devices 614 a,b,c. By way ofexample, a remote computing device can be a personal computer, portablecomputer, smartphone, a server, a router, a network computer, a peerdevice or other common network node, and so on. Logical connectionsbetween the computer 601 and a remote computing device 614 a,b,c can bemade via a network 615, such as a local area network (LAN) and/or ageneral wide area network (WAN). Such network connections can be througha network adapter 608. A network adapter 608 can be implemented in bothwired and wireless environments. Such networking environments areconventional and commonplace in dwellings, offices, enterprise-widecomputer networks, intranets, and the Internet.

For purposes of illustration, application programs and other executableprogram components, such as the operating system 605 are illustratedherein as discrete blocks, although it is recognized that such programsand components reside at various times in different storage componentsof the computing device 601, and are executed by the data processor(s)of the computer. An implementation of content processing software 606can be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer readablemedia. Any of the disclosed methods can be performed by computerreadable instructions embodied on computer readable media. Computerreadable media can be any available media that can be accessed by acomputer. By way of example and not meant to be limiting, computerreadable media can comprise “computer storage media” and “communicationsmedia.” “Computer storage media” comprise volatile and non-volatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any methods ortechnology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Exemplarycomputer storage media comprises, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digitalversatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices,or any other medium which can be used to store the desired informationand which can be accessed by a computer.

The methods and systems can employ artificial intelligence (AI)techniques, such as machine learning and iterative learning. Examples ofsuch techniques include, but are not limited to, expert systems, casebased reasoning, Bayesian networks, behavior based AI, neural networks,fuzzy systems, evolutionary computation (e.g. genetic algorithms), swarmintelligence (e.g. ant algorithms), and hybrid intelligent systems (e.g.Expert inference rules generated through a neural network or productionrules from statistical learning).

The present methods and systems can be operational with numerous othergeneral purpose or special purpose computing system environments orconfigurations. Examples of well known computing systems, environments,and/or configurations that can be suitable for use with the systems andmethods comprise, but are not limited to, personal computers, servercomputers, laptop devices, and multiprocessor systems. Additionalexamples comprise set top boxes, programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, distributed computingenvironments that comprise any of the above systems or devices, and thelike.

The processing of the disclosed methods and systems can be performed bysoftware components. The disclosed systems and methods can be describedin the general context of computer-executable instructions, such asprogram modules, being executed by one or more computers or otherdevices. Generally, program modules comprise computer code, routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that performparticular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Thedisclosed methods can also be practiced in grid-based and distributedcomputing environments where tasks are performed by remote processingdevices that are linked through a communications network. In adistributed computing environment, program modules can be located inboth local and remote computer storage media including memory storagedevices.

While the methods and systems have been described in connection withpreferred embodiments and specific examples, it is not intended that thescope be limited to the particular embodiments set forth, as theembodiments herein are intended in all respects to be illustrativerather than restrictive.

Unless otherwise expressly stated, it is in no way intended that anymethod set forth herein be construed as requiring that its steps beperformed in a specific order. Accordingly, where a method claim doesnot actually recite an order to be followed by its steps or it is nototherwise specifically stated in the claims or descriptions that thesteps are to be limited to a specific order, it is no way intended thatan order be inferred, in any respect. This holds for any possiblenon-express basis for interpretation, including: matters of logic withrespect to arrangement of steps or operational flow; plain meaningderived from grammatical organization or punctuation; the number or typeof embodiments described in the specification.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that variousmodifications and variations can be made without departing from thescope or spirit. Other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled inthe art from consideration of the specification and practice disclosedherein. It is intended that the specification and examples be consideredas exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit being indicated by thefollowing claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: transmitting first contentvia a non-packetized network to a first device, wherein the firstcontent comprises one or more trigger elements; receiving a request forsecond content, wherein the second content relates to the one or moretrigger elements of the first content, and wherein the request comprisesinformation relating to a second device; and transmitting the secondcontent via a packetized network to the second device.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the request for second content comprises one or moreindices associated with respective trigger elements of the one or moretrigger elements of the first content.
 3. The method of claim 1, whereinthe information relating to a second device comprises a deviceidentifier of the second device, a user identifier, or both.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, wherein the device identifier of the second device isa media access control (MAC) address of the second device.
 5. The methodof claim 1, wherein the non-packetized network comprises a quadratureamplitude modulation (QAM) network and the packetized network comprisesan internet protocol (IP) network.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein thesecond content comprises one or more of an advertisement, promotion,knowledge base of specific characters, purchasing opportunity, interestpoint, highlighting point, polling point, content length, a contenttitle, a content provider, a content type, a content format, a contentidentifier, a content release date, a content update frequency, acontent category, a content rating, a price for ordering the firstcontent, and content viewing history.
 7. A method comprising: receivingfirst content via a non-packetized network at a first device, whereinthe first content comprises one or more trigger elements and the firstdevice is associated with a device identifier; and transmitting atrigger signal via an out-of-band (OOB) portion of the non-packetizednetwork, the trigger signal comprising the device identifier associatedwith the first device and information relating to one or more triggerelements, wherein the trigger signal facilitates the transmission ofsecond content to a second device via a packetized network, and whereinthe second content relates to one or more trigger elements of the firstcontent.
 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger signal is inALOHA format.
 9. The method of claim 7, wherein the non-packetizednetwork comprises a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) network. 10.The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger signal is transmitted via anALOHA format or a DAVIC format.
 11. The method of claim 7, whereintransmitting the trigger signal comprises transmitting the triggersignal by remote desktop protocol (RDP) or advanced remote desktopprotocol (ARDP).
 12. The method of claim 7, wherein the trigger signalcomprises a linkage message, the device identifier of the first device,and one or more indices associated with respective one or more triggerelements.
 13. The method of claim 7, wherein the device identifier is amedia access control (MAC) address of the first device.
 14. A methodcomprising: receiving a trigger signal from a first device, wherein thetrigger signal comprises a device identifier associated with a firstdevice and information relating to one or more trigger elements of firstcontent; receiving a request for information from a second device;associating the request for information with the trigger signal;transmitting a request for second content to a content provider basedupon the trigger signal and the request for information, wherein thesecond content relates to the one or more trigger elements of the firstcontent; and transmitting the second content to the second device via apacketized network.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the triggersignal is in ALOHA format.
 16. The method of claim 14, whereinassociating the request for information with the trigger signalcomprises registering the second device.
 17. The method of claim 16,wherein the registering the second device comprises receiving a useridentifier from the second device and authenticating the useridentifier.
 18. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the triggersignal comprises receiving the trigger signal by remote desktop protocol(RDP) or advanced remote desktop protocol (ARDP).
 19. The method ofclaim 14, wherein the trigger signal comprises the device identifierassociated with the first device, a link message, and one or moreindices associated with respective one or more trigger elements.
 20. Themethod of claim 14, wherein the device identifier associated with thefirst device is a media access control (MAC) address of the firstdevice.